Josh's First Full Day As Chief-of-Staff
by gawilliams
Summary: A humorous four chapter look at the first full day on the job as Chief-of-Staff for Josh Lyman.
1. Chapter 1

_I always wondered about what Josh's first full day as Chief-of-Staff for Santos would be like. This is my own take on what Jan. 21 would be. The day will be covered in four chapters. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_**4:30am**_

Josh groaned as his alarm sounded, putting a halt to a rather awesome dream, if he did say so himself, and bringing him to the reality that he had to get up out of this comfortable bed where he was enjoying the warmth and comfort of one Donna Moss. Oh, yes. Donnatella. The pinnacle of his total greatness had now been achieved. He got to wake up next to Donnatella Moss every morning. His glory was coursing through his ego laden mind until he looked at the clock. He poked Donna and looked at her.

"Uh, Donna?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Donna said lazily with a smile as she turned over to face him. She loved waking up with him.

"Is there some reason that the alarm was set for 4:30 instead of 5:30?" Josh asked. "We have a full day today, you know, and I need my manly presence to be ship shape which necessitates sleeping until 5:30."

"_**Manly**_ presence?" Donna questioned, amused at the lengths to which his ego directed his self-described importance.

"I am _Da Man_, Donnatella," he reminded her. "Now what about my man sleep?"

Donna rolled her eyes, but shifted closer to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I thought that on _Da Man's _first full day as the President's Chief-of-Staff, he might like to begin with a little roll in the hay with the First Lady's Chief-of-Staff," she told him, giving him a lusty, feminine leer.

"Man sleep is for pansies," Josh said solemnly as he rolled over on top of her, kissing her deeply.

_**6:30am**_

Josh walked into his new office and took a seat, glowering at the massive stacks of files demanding his attention at this early hour. He was used to the early time. His whole career had been early mornings and long days, but to find his desk so organized, yet so piled on with paperwork was a bit overwhelming, even for Da Man. It was times like this that he wondered how Leo ever did it for _as long_ as he did without a heart attack. Oh, well. He had Margaret at his beck and call, just like Leo and CJ had, so he knew that the office would be a well oiled machine. Maybe not so well oiled as when Donna was his assistant, but Margaret was a damn good _second_ choice. He made a mental note not to ever mention that to Margaret or he knew he could kiss the jewels goodbye. Looking over the pile, he didn't see what he was looking for.

"Margaret!" he bellowed like he always used to with Donna.

"You know yelling in the vicinity of the Oval Office does have a tendency to put the Secret Service on edge," Margaret said as she entered the office, knowing that no matter what she said it wouldn't change the man before her.

"Where's the President's schedule, and also mine?" Josh demanded.

Margaret went right to the neatly piled folders and on the very top of one pile took two sheets of paper and then handed them to Josh. "Right here where you could see them quite easily," she said. "Are you testing me? I know you used to spend a great deal of time creating busy work for Donna so she would be in your presence so you had a distraction, but you need to know that I am not a distraction, and I know for a fact that Donna is not into threesomes."

Josh's eyes bugged out at that one. "_**Threesomes**_?" he shrieked, his voice moving up in pitch which always amused everyone of long acquaintance.

"And I am happily involved with a lawyer named Todd who I don't believe would approve of me being eye candy for my boss," Margaret continued, knowing she was _**really**_ yanking his chain now, and loving it.

"_**Eye candy**_?" the shrieking voice pierced the room once more.

"You have Senior Staff in twenty minutes, and Sam said he needs ten minutes alone right after the meeting before you meet with the President for the National Security Briefing," Margaret told him and left a nearly hyperventilating Josh Lyman still sitting there.

Josh shook his head and decided that he must have imagined all that. There was no way that she had just said all that, and if she had, he was going to place himself firmly in denial. Yep. That what he had to do. He glanced at the two schedules that she had handed him, and then began tackling the mountain of files. It was time to do his job.

_**8:30am**_

Josh ignored the pile of unread folders on his desk and took one that was far more important with him to the couch on the other side of his office. It was time to get off the pot and deal with a long overdue matter. The label on the file said it all. _**Dr. Freeride**_. Yep. That walking sleaze bucket was going to get what he deserved once and for all, and now that Josh was the Chief-of-Staff and had the President's wholehearted approval, he was going to unleash the full fury that the situation warranted.

For years now he had been silently waiting in the wings for the last piece of info that he needed to begin. For some crazy reason no one had been willing to give him the last name of Freeride. Some nonsense about not wanted Josh in jail or something. As if that would have happened. Leo and President Bartlett would have pardoned him in a nanosecond seeing as they had held the same low estimate of Freeride that Josh had.

Now let's see. First on the list was a full court press on Donna's parents to reveal the pond scum's last name. Once that had been accomplished second on the list was to sic the IRS on his sorry ass with a full scale battery of business and personal audits. The full treatment ones where you feel the auditors are aiming a damn microscope up your ass. Third was to review very carefully, and with extreme prejudice, his academic credentials and also his professional licensing. Fourth was to prosecute the slug to within an inch of his life so that no one in their right mind would ever want anything to do with him ever again, thus destroying his miserable existence. And last, but not least, was to give him a bill for all the money Donna had wasted on his sorry ass, and all the pain and misery he'd caused her way back when.

Josh was thinking delightedly wicked thoughts when his cell phone rang. A little shocked, he picked it up and was surprised to see that it was his Mom calling. He answered.

"Hi, Mom," he said.

"_Joshua_," came the reply.

"Uh, is there something you needed? I am kind of busy now, you know, uh, helping run the country?" Josh told her. "At least something that couldn't wait until tonight."

"_I want grandchildren_."

If Josh had had any liquid in his mouth right then it would have sprayed across the room. "I'm in my office on my first full day as Chief-of-Staff and you want to talk about grandchildren?" he said in a slightly off pitch tone.

"_You and Donna are finally, at long last, together_," she reminded him. "_I have been patiently waiting for the last nine years since you met her, and now is my chance. I intend on bringing up the subject of my need for grandchildren at every available opportunity._"

"Meaning pretty much every day," Josh surmised.

"_Exactly,_" she told him. Then she got serious. "_Your Father would be so proud of you, Joshua. I am sure Noah and Leo are looking down on you with pride. Never forget that, and the fact that you have _**earned**_ the position you now occupy_."

"Thanks, Mom," Josh told her once he had his emotions under control.

"_Now get back to work and stop trying to figure out who that schmuck Dr. Freeride is. You have vastly more important things to take care of_," she ordered and then hung up.

Josh held out the phone and looked at it in astonishment. How the Hell did she know? He was still trying to figure that one out when Margaret came in and put a small plate with one of those healthy rice things on it. Josh gave it a jaundiced look.

"What the Hell is this? I asked for pancakes, fried eggs, and hash browns," he protested.

"Donna gave strict instructions about your diet at work," Margaret told him. "Is your heart giving out? She sounded concerned. You know Leo worked to hard, so maybe you should slow down and maybe plan another vacation soon."

"Just go," Josh waved her away, understanding how Leo always got so exasperated with her, but knowing she was indispensable. He made a mental note as he bit down on the tasteless thing to discuss with Donna the beauty of a **_manly_** breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

_A/N: Well, there's the first segment of the day. I hope that you have enjoyed this one. Others are going to make their appearances, of course. Gregg._


	2. Chapter 2

_I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter to this one. It's a fun set of characters to write, and the story is one I've been wanting to do for some time. Here is the second chapter where we see some other characters come into play. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_**10:30am**_

Two hours, five short meetings, two phone calls, and a niggling fear of talking with Margaret, later, Josh was sitting at his desk wondering where the Hell Donna was. He had called her thirty minutes before and yet she still wasn't in his office yet. Just was he was about to call her again and see what the Hell was going on, she walked into his office, a smile on her face.

"You needed something?" she asked, the smile still in place, and mentally doing a rundown on the state of his office. Some habits were hard to break.

"Come be my assistant again!" he jumped up and approached her. "I'll offer you anything you want, even the kinky bedroom stuff that you love so much that throws me off my A game!"

"It only throws you off your A game because you're too impatient to get in on the action when I put the cuffs on you," she teased.

"I am the epitome of calm, Donnatella," he said defiantly. "But that's for later. I need you back doing what you do best. Keeping me sane and on the right page."

"Margaret can do that quite easily," Donna told him, quite amused at his self-described level of calm.

"She scares me," Josh admitted in a hushed voice.

"I scared you, and still do," she pointed out.

"You did not scare me," Josh shrieked in that impossibly high pitch.

"Then why would you hide out in Toby's office to eat a burger and fries when I was out to lunch and had left you nice healthy salads?" she questioned.

"You knew about that?" Josh blanched. He was going to have to be more vigilant about his clandestine eating activities from now on.

"Of course," she replied, smiling widely. She leaned forward, her lips at his ear. "I knew everything."

"Are you a CIA plant?" Josh asked.

Donna laughed. "No," she shook her head. "Josh. I am not coming to work as your assistant. You have a wonderful assistant. Now is there anything else?"

Josh slumped. "No," he said. It was worth a shot, but he knew that he would get shot down in the end. "We still on for lunch?"

Donna smiled. "Come to my office at 12:30 and we can have something special," she told him.

Josh looked up eagerly. "Special? As in _I'm Da Man_ special?" he preened.

"Come to lunch and find out," Donna told him as she left his office.

With a sigh Josh turned back to the slowly shrinking pile of folders on his desk. He had to make more of a dent before lunch since he had a Situation Room briefing with President Santos, the National Security Adviser, SecDef, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs on the continuing tensions involving Russia and China after lunch. Who knew how long that meeting would last.'

_**12:30pm**_

"Josh!" Sam Seaborn called out as Josh made his way through the Bullpen.

Josh cursed. He was a bit behind as it was, and if Donna was really interested in pronouncing him _Da Man_, then he needed all the time he could get to live up to her high expectations. Stopping to talk with Sam was not on the schedule where that was concerned.

"What?" he asked testily, which Sam ignored thoroughly.

"I was wanting to know if you wanted to grab a bite," Sam told him. "We need to go over the legislative agenda for the rest of the week, and I wanted to talk about the best way to deal with H.R. 152."

Josh sighed in frustration. This was important stuff, and Sam wouldn't be bothering him if he didn't need some guidance from his _El Supremo_. He got out his cell phone and sent a text to Donna.

_Need 2 talk 2 Sam. Sorry. Rain check till Dinner? Josh._

"All right, Sam, let's go," he said, a bit deflated. He was sure that Donna would say absolutely not to a nooner, but a little making out had still been in the cards, and Josh had been hoping to once again show her what a master he was on that front. His blackberry chimed, letting him know that he had a text message. He glanced at it and sighed.

_Sure. Too, bad, though. I was going to let you see how far around the bases you could get at lunch. Donna._

"You owe me, Sam," he said shaking his head as he followed his friend into the commissary. His phone chimed again and he looked at the message.

_Don't try ordering anything fried or burnt. The kitchen has strict orders on what you may have. Donna._

"Really owe me," he muttered.

_**2:30pm**_

Josh was sitting at his desk after having given Otto some instructions on how he wanted some research conducted on the new gun legislation that was being crafted. Ever since lunch he had been in meeting after meeting, including the Situation Room Briefing, and then had attended the brief oath taking ceremony for West Wing staffers which was the standard ceremonial on this day in a new Administration. It had felt kind of odd not having CJ, Toby, and the assistants that had been so familiar during President Bartlett's time in office there this time. He knew it would take some time getting used to, but he would. A knock on the door frame leading to the Oval Office snagged his attention. He jumped up.

"Mr. President!" he said quickly. "Can I do anything for you?"

Matt Santos frowned at the kind of fawning that he knew was the norm, but he had hoped that he and Josh could drop some of the formality. The man in front of him was the sole reason he was here now as the President and not working on local issues back in Texas.

"Relax, Josh," he chided. He came into the office holding a cup of coffee. He took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs near the couch.

Josh sighed and went to the other chair and sat down. He was busy, but never too busy to give his attention to the President. He had a bottle of water, which he loathed but Donna had sent it down to make sure he had his required intake of water so he was sucking it down, in his hand and took a drink. "Is there anything you need, Sir?"

"I wanted your opinion on something," Santos told him. "Is this a good first full day?"

Josh thought back to the first full day of the Bartlett Administration and smiled. Now that had been a Hell in a Handbasket day if there ever had been one. They had all been on pins and needles and wondering if their every move was being judged for perfection. It had taken a week or so of talks, both calm and near screaming, from Leo to calm everyone down and just do their jobs. He chuckled. Thank God he, Sam, and Donna had already sat everyone down over the last few weeks and really prepped them on what to expect and what they needed to concentrate on.

"On a scale of one to ten?" Josh leaned back. "I'd give it about a nine. There's always room for improvement, after all."

Santos looked a bit relieved. He relaxed slightly. "I don't know why I'm even worried over it, but it seemed like the question to ask," he told his Chief-of-Staff.

"You're going to have good days, Sir, and you're going to have days that make you question what the Hell you're doing here," Josh counseled. "No one, and I mean _**NO ONE**_, is ready for this job, or is born to it. A President can be great, and have a great team, but it's how you handle the bad days that will really show what kind of President you are, and just how good your supporting cast are."

Matt Santos pondered that one for a minute. Then he remembered a humorous event involving a certain Deputy Chief-of-Staff named Josh Lyman in the second year of the Bartlett Administration. "Bad days like when a certain staffer suggests that the President has a secret plan to fight inflation?" he teased.

"President Bartlett was a Saint on that one, but Leo was about to tear my head off, and CJ wanted to castrate me," Josh chuckled at the memory, not surprised that someone would bring it up after all these years. He was just surprised that it wasn't Donna telling it to the troops so they could get a real good laugh at their beloved leader.

Santos looked at his watch. "I've got a meeting with some Boy Scouts," he said, a smile on his face. It felt good to know that he could relax even for a minute with his very driven and brilliant Chief-of-Staff. "Oh, by the way," he added, a wicked smile on his face. "Your Mom's right. Have a couple of kids. She needs grandchildren," he told him as he slipped out of the room as water sprayed all over the coffee table.

"MARGARET!" Josh bellowed.

_A/N: Well, there's another part of the day. I wanted to bring in a mix of some serious thought as well as the humor I love to write, so I hope it worked. This is, after all, a fun story first and foremost. I hope to have another chapter done in about a week or so. Merry Christmas everyone. Gregg._


End file.
